A fall of rain
by granger10
Summary: Eponine is convinced no one see's her anywhere but she didn't account for him. Enjolras. He notices everything and when he takes an interest in her, their two worlds clash. Can they manage to make their love work in a world that is up side down with war and rebellions?
1. Chapter 1

The café was ablaze with talk of rebellion, all of the boys pretending to be men far wiser and older than they actually were. Most were drinking though some were far more intoxicated then others. Voices were raised and being spoken in at all levels of volume and everyone could feel the excitement, except one.

His head was tilted slightly to the side, his blonde hair falling carelessly across his steely gaze. His eyes were trained in on a scene happening just beyond the buzz of the café. The girl sat shivering in the cold yet you wouldn't know it from the radiant look on her face. She was talking in quick words to Marius, the one boy who worked the fiercest for the cause. Though he came from wealthy stock and could have easily owned much in his life, he abandoned it all for the cause of the people. Marius looked equally as thrilled and he reached out to grab the girls hand, taking off in a sprint.

"Enjolras! You don't have your nose in another book do you?"

Enjolras watched the retreating couple before breaking his gaze away from the window and slowly leveling his eyes to Grantaire. Though the man was his friend and one of the few who kept things light, his drunken behavior was quick to irate on nights like these.

Placing the novel he had in his hand onto the table, Enjolras chuckled standing up.

"It seems you have guessed correct my friend, though I would rather my nose be in a book then to smell the stench of your breath."

This brought a roar of laughter from the other students and even Grantaire laughed, slapping Enjolras on the arm.

"Your wit never fails to make us laugh. So share with us oh great thinker, what captivated your attention?"

Enjolras found his gaze traveling out the window again in search of the girl who had been with Marius. His brow furrowed and he thought carefully before he spoke. If Marius had found a girl to be interested in, he didn't want to bring it to attention without him saying so first. "Has anyone noticed that Marius has a friend that hangs around him?"

Grantaire was smirking now, his face strained in the effort of not laughing.

"Enjolras, have you taken to drinking tonight? I think all of us would agree that he has many friends who hang about him."

He swept his arm around the room, each face his hand pointed to breaking out in grins or laughs.

"You know what I meant. The girl. Who is she?"

Enjolras waited for an answer, the curiosity growing as no one spoke up though many face's showed recognition. He crossed his arms, surveying each face in turn and trying to figure out why now they choose to be silent.

Courfeyrac was standing in the corner when Gavroche ran over and tugged on his sleeve. Bending down he listened as the boy spoke. A tiny smile crossed his face as he looked up and spoke directly to Enjolras.

"Her name is Eponine."


	2. Chapter 2

"Yes Marius, I've said it a thousand times. This is her home." Eponine snapped out from her spot around the corner.

She had gladly jumped at the chance to help Marius, even though in the back of her mind she had known it would lead him to what could possibly be his love. Being near him was a joy and a heart break for her but he was her addiction. His face was all she saw during the day, all she dreamed of at night, everything that was good and light in this world was represented in him.

She knew deep down that she had no right to be snippy or jealous of what was never hers to lose in the first place but at the moment she was biting back tears as she watched his face search through the garden in search of his golden haired angel.

Feeling the tiniest bit guilty at acting such a way towards a person who had been nothing but good to her in her life of sadness, she stepped from around her spot only to have her words get smashed back down her throat.

She was there, slowly walking towards the gate with a look of wonder and curiosity that matched Marius's. Her face resembled every painted angel on the cathedral walls and she was everything Eponine was not. Her clothing was silk and soft, flowing about her in an almost whimsical fashion as she walked. Her hair was the color of the sun, braided to the side and tied together with a ribbon. Eponine simply wore an old corset and skirt, both tattered and worn down from hours on the streets. Her boots were falling apart at the soles and her hair…her hair was something that could never be tamed. It was a tangled mess of brown hair that did whatever it pleased each day.

Eponine slowly eased back around the wall, the awful choking feeling of tears making its way through her body. She knew she should just leave the two of them alone, go back home to the life she would always know and the anger, sadness and hatred that came with it but her feet were rooted to the ground. She _needed_ to hear him pronounce his love for this girl he barely knew, needed to hear him say the things he would never say to her.

"Mademoiselle, forgive me for…." Marius began but the girl raised her dainty fingers to his hand that was grasping the bars of the gate and with one touch he was silenced.

"There is nothing to forgive Monsieur. What's your name?"

"Marius Pontmercy. My name is Marius."

The girl smiled and from her lips came the name that would replace Eponine in his life forever.

"I'm Cosette."

A tiny tear slid from Eponine's face as she listened to them talk, leaving a mark of clean skin on her otherwise dirty face. If the moment a person's heart broke there was a sound, the whole of France would have known her sorrow for her heart was shattering. Each time he spoke of love, it felt like a dagger was being plunged into her soul and each time Cosette even spoke the red hot flame of anger and jealousy arose and reared its ugly head.

How many times had Eponine watched over him in the shadows? Made sure the thief's and beggars of the streets, the filth and urchins of this town had kept their distance from him. Went with him to his meetings filled with talk of revolution, but stayed outside so as to not "dirty" anyone's impression on him. She loved him, mind body and soul, and everything was stripped away with one glance.

"Little you know….little you care." Eponine whispered, leaning back against the wall in an effort to support her legs which felt like lead.

Eponine closed her eyes, willing everything to just go away when she heard it. The smallest noise but it was no stranger to her ears. Montparnasse was laughing and it was close by. Fully awake now, she ran around the corner in an attempt to get Marius's attention. He looked over, a questioning look to his gaze but the laughter was louder now and he understood. Whispering a few quick words to his new love, he vanished behind a dip in the wall and Cosette fled back into the house.

"Well, what have we here? It would seem little Eponine already had plans for this house."

Montparnasse was in her sights now, stumbling towards her with a grin on his face. Her father and the rest of the gang were close behind, all drunk and carrying sacks.

Eponine shook her head, stepping backwards.

"I know this house. It's just an old man and a girl, there isn't anything worth taking here."

Her father laughed, though there was nothing kind or inviting about it.

"Get out 'ponine, there are enough people here without you. Go home and help your mother."

The rest of the gang were assembling around the walls of the home, peering through cracks and trying to find the best way in and Eponine made the only descion she could think of.

She screamed.

Everyone turned to look at her but when they heard the door begin to creak open, most began to run. 'Parnasse gave her a knowing look before darting off and her father left her a nice red hand print on her face before he left as well.

Marius ran from his place behind the wall, grabbing Eponine's hands and giving them a quick squeeze before going over to the gate to look for Cosette.

With one last glance at him, the boy who had given her so much hope, she disappeared into the streets with no idea where she would head and only one thought in her head.

She would always be on her own.

**A/U: I know this is a lot like the musical and movie version but it was necessary to put it into the story. **


	3. Chapter 3

"Ah, dammit!" Enjolras curse, bringing his punctured thumb up to his mouth to suck at the blood.

He had been busily making the red, white and red rosettes for the revolutionaries and so far he only had four done. He had the fabric laid around him, each in its own pile and a box with the finished rosettes at his feet.

His friends were expecting them at the next meeting at the ABC Café and he was in bad shape with time. The night was coming on quickly and he only had candle light to see by, hence his stabbed finger.

He sat the needle down, a loud sigh coming from his lips. There was nothing he would rather be then a leader to his friends in this time of need but sometimes he wished he had someone to share his fears and doubts with. At the meeting's he had to portray this angelic figure that never saw anything but positive. While all of those things were true, he was a man like any other man and he did have fears and bad thoughts though he tried to keep them to himself.

He was just picking his needle back up when he heard fast footsteps climbing the stairs. He turned, expecting to see one of his friends but instead he saw her.

The girl who finally had a name.

Eponine.

She was drenched to the bone and shaking, her face showing every emotion inside of her. Her brown hair was plastered to her face, and whether it was from the rain or her tears he didn't know. He watched her take him in and saw the guard go up immediately. Her tears stopped and she folded her arms across her chest.

"I didn't know anyone would be here."

He nodded, still taking in the sight of her, studying her. She wasn't very tall, he was almost positive he was a few feet taller than her, and he noticed she had no shoes on.

"There normally isn't but I needed to work and my flat simply wasn't fitting for my task."

He stood, pushing his chair back in the process. In two or three steps he was standing before her and he extended his hand.

"I'm Enjolras. I've noticed you around here though I only learned your name today." He offered a small smile before turning around and heading back to the table. "You don't have anything to fear from me by the way. You can sit if you would like."

Eponine stood where she was but her arms fell to her side and she laughed quietly.

"I know who you are Monsieur. You are the one who is always talking of revolution, always singing songs of victory to those other boys. My Mar…well my _friend_ Marius adores you and your thoughts."

She crossed the room slowly, the hem of her dirty skirt dragging the floor. Taking a seat at the table she reached over and fingered the rough fabric.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Enjolras looked up from his rosette briefly, noticing that she was sitting next to him. He shrugged, continuing to stitch the red and white fabric together.

"I'm making rosettes for the revolutionaries. We plan to wear them in support of change and in support of a new world." He glanced over at her as she still stared at the fabric. "Do you think you could help? It's not hard, just a simple stitch. I already cut the fabric to the right lengths."

Eponine stared at him for a few moments before nodding and picking up a needle and the fabric. She had never sewed anything a day in her life but she would have felt rude just sitting there while he worked. Slowly she tried to mimic his movements and the way he held his hands.

They continued on in silence for what seemed like hours, both absorbed in their thoughts. Enjolras was watching her out of the corner of his eye, watching her as she watched him work. He was finding her rather interesting and while he wanted to know more about her life he kept those questions to himself. Eponine was still feeling bitter and jagged inside, her heart barely hanging on by a thread. Every time she would stop thinking about it and focus more on what the task at hand was, it would slap her in the face and bring her back down. Marius was experiencing love like none other while she said her, soaked and dirty, making rosettes with a man who while extremely nice, was not the man she loved.

"Enjolras!...Enjolras!"

The tiny voice was barely able to shout from his sprints through the streets, yet he was still stumbling up the stairs to the café.

Enjolras set down his pin, glancing at Eponine to see if she knew what this was about. Her face was as void of recognition as his was and while he was almost positive it was nothing bad he checked to make sure his pistol was still in its place on his hip.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. You can stop sewing if you want." He smiled once more before disappearing from sight.

Eponine stared around the room, wandering what could be going on. Even though she hadn't shared more than a few words with him, she found herself worrying about Enjolras. He could obviously take care of himself but he almost had the demeanor of someone that would let a mugger beat him and take his money and then excuse whoever had done it by saying that they needed the money more than he did. She stood, her chair making a scrapping noise against the wooden floor as she tip toed over to the banister. Looking down she saw Enjolras bent on his knee to be at the same height as the little boy in front of him. Both were talking excitedly but she could barely make out a word they were saying.

They stopped then, both looking up. She felt her face flame red at being caught but it quickly went away as Enjolras ran up the stairs to her, grabbing both her arms with a smile on his face.

"Lamarque has died."

She frowned, not understanding why he was smiling over the death of someone.

"Don't you think it's a bit rude to smile? I mean, this ma…."

Enjolras was shaking his head and he squeezed her arms. The excitement was radiating from him and his little friend that was beside them.

"No Eponine. This means that the revolution can start."


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was barely awake itself, the light of dawn scarcely visible through the window slats. All of his friends were there, some fidgeting, other's barely able to contain their excitement. He had been awake the rest of the night, furiously sewing together what was left of the rosettes, more confident than ever that the revolution would now happen and that he and his friends would be the ones to bring about that new freedom everyone in Paris so desperately craved.

He vaguely recalled Eponine leaving shortly after Gavroche showed up, the pair of them walking off together and while he found it out, he had simply assumed that they knew each other and hadn't given it another thought, his mind to full of thoughts for the future to leave space for anything else.

"When will it start?"

Combeferre's voice of reason broke through the murmur of others, everyone stilling in their conversations to listen to the man now standing up in front of them. Besides Enjolras himself, this was the one man who thought first before acting on his impulses. From his stance Enjolras knew that the next words from Combeferre's mouth wouldn't be good ones and he stepped back a few paces to give him room.

"Pardon my negative thoughts but so what? A man died and while the people are likely to rise up in anger, what if they don't? I do not want to run head first into death if something else could be done."

His tone was even, no anger in his words but in his face his emotions could be seen. Fear, confusion, hope, trust, it was all there and it gave Enjolras hope that he had men like this with him to fight with.

Walking forward he placed a hand on his friends shoulder, addressing him and the others.

"Lamarque's funeral will be in a week's time, that's when we will fight. In that week we will rally together our fellow countrymen and help them see the new world that could be."

Already he could feel the familiar drive and want rise up in him as he talked, his movements more animated, more energetic as he searched the faces in front of him. He could see the doubt in all of them but also the resolution to make a difference.

"This isn't a game anymore, this isn't time to waver about the descion to be made, you are either here with me or you aren't. I would hold nothing against anyone who wanted to leave because I understand that it is all so much more real now but isn't it better that way? We can _change_ things for the people of Paris and now finally the time has come."

A brief moment of silence followed his speech and then the room erupted into talk of how to gather weapons, where to place their barricade and how to gain support from fellow brothers and sisters of Paris. A smile was on his face and his heart was overflowing with joy and hope and for the first time that night, Eponine came into his mind.

"I didn't know you knew 'em."

Eponine frowned, kicking at the dirt from her spot on the stoop of the abandoned church not far from her home. Gavroche was running around in circles, pretending to defeat the whole army of France as he pestered her about last night.

"I already told you, I don't know him. I was trying to get out of the rain and went there. How was I supposed to know he would be there?"

She smacked at him as he ran by and he smiled, sticking his tongue out at her when she missed him. She didn't know him did she? One night sitting with a man sewing ribbons or whatever those things had been was surely not anything to count as getting to know someone. He had been nice sure, and she had noticed him staring, the questions in his eyes that he was too nice to ask. It had been nice; to sit there and have the distraction but the thought hit her again, sending a wave of pain through her body. He hadn't been Marius. No one would ever measure up to the man who she still felt such great emotions for. Marius was her breath, her life, her reason for waking up with the tinniest bit of hope that this awful life she lived could be changed and yet he still felt nothing towards her.

The rock near her foot went flying as she kicked it, the anger that was welling up in her coming out as it flew through the air, landing not far from where her brother ran about on the street.

"Hey 'ponine. Did Marius tell you that he is gonna fight in that revolution? I overheard him talking to that pretty blonde and she has to leave or somethin' and he can't be without her. It was real mushy…hey 'ponine!"

Gavroche yelled after his sister but it didn't matter, Eponine was already long gone and running to find the boy she desperately cared for to tell him not to fight.

A/N: Sorry this took so long and that it's kinda long but it's here! I promise more E/E will develop in the chapters to come but it isn't quite time for it yet. As always, leave reviews so I can continue to improve and write what you like.


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